Vehicle wheel



March 17, 1953 H. J. HORN 2,631,894

I VEHICLE WHEEL f yINVENTOR. HARRY J. HORN AT TOR NE YS.

March 17, 1953 H. J. HORN 2,631,894

VEHICLE WHEEL Filed May 14, 194s 2 SHEETS- SHEET a INVENTOR. HARRY J. HORN ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 17, 1953 VEHICLE WHEEL Harry J. Horn, Lansing, Mich., assignor to Motor Wheel Corporation, Lansing, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application May 14, 1948, Serial No. 27,020-

3 Claims. (Cl. 301-9) This invention relates to a metal vehicle wheel which is either stamped or forged and in par- ;ticular is concerned with a stamped or forged metal wheel which has a strong bolting-on ilange. This invention contemplates a stamped or forged disc type metal Vehicle wheel wherein the disc is of substantially uniform thickness throughout the bolting-on ange and the body part of the disc which attaches to the wheel rim.

It is an object of this invention to produce such a disc type metal vehicle wheel from relatively thin sheet metal stock and form the bolt- -ingon ange with such contour that it has the strength necessary to withstand the severest loads and stresses to which it is subjected in 4of the wheel in the region known as the bolting- -on ilange.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are sections along the lines 3 3, 4--4 and 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional Yview of a bolt and the adjacent portions of the bolting-on and hub anges before the nut is drawn tight.

Referring more particularly to the drawings ythere is shown a dual wheel assembly comprisving a hubA I, hub flange 2, brake drum 3 and two identical vehicle wheels generally designated 4 and A-A, wheel ylI-A being mounted on the hub in reversed position to wheel Il. Each wheel Acomprises a forged or stamped disc body which is preferably dished, that is, of concavo-convex form, a tire rim 6 secured by rivets 'i to the circumferential edge 8 of the wheel body 5, and a bolting-on ange generally designated 9. The

.wheels 5 are secured to the hub I by any known .means such as cap screws or bolts and nuts. vFor purposes of illustration, the wheels are secured to the ange 2 of hub I by means of a plurality of bolts I0 and nuts II, bolts I9 passing through the bolt holes I2 in the bolting-on flange 9.

In operation a vehicle wheel must be able to Astand considerable torsional and lateral or axial stresses and therefore it is necessary that these stresses should not be concentrated in any one localized area, at any one point or along any one line but should be distributed over a substantial vat the ends I1.

area of the wheel body. To accomplish this end -I have provided a generally U-shaped embossment I3 which extends across the circumferential junction of the body portion 5 with the boltingon flange 9 of the wheel. This circumferential junction of the body and bolting-on flange portions can be generally designated I4. A U- shaped embossment I3 is provided for each of the bolt openings I2.

VMy wheel will be provided with a conventional ynumber of bolt openings I2 equi-spaced about the inner circumference I5 of the wheel. It is customary to provide a Wheel with seven or eight of these bolt openings.

` Each U embossment I3 has its bight portion I6 positioned on the same radius as its adjacent bolt hole I2. The ends I1 of each U embossment I3 are positioned on opposite sides of the adjacent hole I2 and are positioned on substantially the same circumference as the center of the hole I2. The embossment I3 has its greatest width at the bight portion I6 and is narrowest Each embossment I3 has its greatest depth at approximately the central point I8 of the bight portion I6 and from the point IB the embossment decreases in depth toward its perimeter I9 where the embossment merges into the body portion 5 and bolting-on flang Vportion 9 of the wheel.

The wheel is provided With a bead 20 extending completely around its inner circumference I5, Fig. 3. The wheel is also provided with a semi-circular bead 2| extending from end to end Il of embossment I3 and between embossment I3 and the adjacent opening I2.

By referring particularly to Fig. 3 it should be noted that each embossment I3 has a fulcrum area 22 which projects outwardly from the wheel, for example, in the neighborhood of .015 inch, beyond the outer face 23 of the bolt hole I2 and the outer face 24 of the bead 29. Similarly on -the inner face of the wheel the inner face 25 of the bead 2I extends inwardly of the wheel in the 23 of bead 29 andthe inner face 21 of hole I2. This rst clearance is indicated by line 28,.Figs. 3, 6, and the second clearance is indicated by line 29, Fig. 3. As used herein, the inner face of the wheel means the concave side of the disc body 5 whereas the outer side of the wheel refers to the convex face of the disc body 5.

The importance of these clearances represented by lines 28 and 29 can be seen by reference to Fig. 1. 'I'he wheel assembly can be made either with or without a brake drum 3 and the brake drum 3 forms no part of the invention here under consideration. If a brake drum 3 is used, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, then the inner wheel will bear against the brake drum instead of against the hub flange. If no drum is used or if the brake drum is mounted on the other side of the hub flange, then the inner wheel will actually contact the hub ilange. When the brake drum 3 is used in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 6, then to all intents and purposes the portion of the brake drum in contact with hub flange 2 becomes a part of the hub flange and when the bolting-onange of the wheel is described as positioned against the hub flange, then this phrase is used broadly to cover either of the above'situations'where'the wheel bolting-on flange bears directly against the hub flange or bears against the vbrake drum, as shown in Fig. 1.

When the wheels are positioned in dual relation upon the hub I, the inner wheel 4 has its fulcrumpoints `25 positioned again'sttheh-ub "llange`2 and the outer'wheel 4-A rhas lits fulcrum points A22 positioned against the fulcrum points v22 "of the `inner wheel 4. |fhus, `before nutsV vI2 are tightened down there will be a clearance 29 between the hub flange 2 and bead 20 of inner wheel 4 Yand a clearance'ZB between the faces 24 lo'f'beadsZIl of wheels :4 and 4-A. When nuts II are turned down, these clearances will be eliminatedso that the bolting-on flange of the inner wheel 4 fulcrums about points 25 until its bead y2l) contacts hub flange 2 and the bolting-on `flange ofthe outer wheel 4-A fulcrums vabout points 22 until the edge 24 of Abead 20 of the outer wheel 4-A is drawn tightly against the correspondingY edge of bead 20 of inner wheel 4. This 'pre-loads the bolting-on flanges 9 of both wheels and thus distributes any side or lateral stresses around the circumference in the general area of fulcrumpoints 22 and 25 and avoids concentration' of these lateral or axial stresses in the area ofthewheel immediately adjacent the bolt holes I2.l The U-shaped embossments I3 further distribute the axial and torsional stresses to which lthefwheel `disc is subjected over a wide area and Vgreatly -strengthen the junction area between the blting-onflange 9 and the axial body 5.

My wheel can be lmounted on the hub dual using two wheels or singly usingV one wheel.

There-is but one dual mounting, which is shown in Figi. Y There are two single-mountings. One single mounting is the same as the wheel 4 of Fig.1 with wheel 4-A left oi and the nuts II being screwed down against the bolting on flange 9. The other single mounting is the wheel in the same position as 4-A of Fig. l with the wheel 4 left 01T and the nut II screwed 'down against the bolting on flange 9.

When the wheels are mounted dual, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the U-shaped embossrnents I3 will bear against each other along a median U- .shaped line extending from one end II to the other end I1 of each embossment, the bearing surfaces, of course, being on the convex faces of theembossments I3. The inner face 25 of the bead 2I of the inner wheel bears against the hub flange 2 and before the nuts II are tightened there is a small clearance 29 between the face of the bead 20 and the wheel hub. There is also a clearance 28 between the bead 20 of the outer wheel and the lbead 20 of the inner wheel at vthe surfaces 2-4 before the nuts II are tightened. :After the nuts are tightened bead 25 and bead 20 "ofthe inner wheel contact the hub flange 2. Embossment I3 of the outer wheel contacts the embossment I3 of the inner wheel and bead 2U of the outer wheel contacts the bead 20 of the inner wheel. It will thus be seen that as the nuts are tightened the bolting-on flange on each wheel is exed, or put under stress, the inner wheel between the two bearing surfaces against the hub ilange and the outer wheel .between the two bearing surfaces 'against thev inner wheel. As has been explained previously, the contact between bead 20 and the hub flange and the con- 'tact between the two beads are continuous.

`When the wheel is mounted singly in the position of wheel il, the surface 25 of bead 2I contacts the hub'ilange and when the nut is tightened the bolting on 'flange 9 flexes and the flange 20 is forced into Contact with the hub flange 2. It will thus fb'efseen that the wheel flange 9 is flexed between the two contacts against the hub flange. When the wheel is mounted singly in the position of wheel 4-A the rflower portion of the embossment AI3 near the ends -I-'I Ycontact thee-hub vflange 2 and when the nuts are tightenedithe wheel flange 9 is flexed and the bead 2-contacts the hub flange 2. It will--thus be seen-that the wheel flange is flexed between its two contacts with the hub ilangef2.

It is thus seenthat the ernbossments KI3 provide for proper flexing 'of the 'bolting' on flange in both the dual and the singlemoun'ting. They also provide bearing surfaces which effect a lvery secure `mounting and a'- -uniform distribution of stresses so that 'the Wheel mounting will remain tight under all manner of usa'geand'th'ere will be no localized stresses which wouldv tend to decrease the life of the wheel.

I claim:

l. A wheel disc comprising a substantiallyr'adially extending central annular bolting on flange and a body portion outwardly of's'aidilan'ga'said flange having a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings adapted to receive securing means, said flange and body portion being 'provided at their junction withaplurality offcircurnferentially spaced embossments, 'each embossment being substantially U-shaped with the ends of each U embcssme'nt positioned 4on `the opposite sides of one of said openings and closer to the inner circumferenceofsaid annular bolting on flange than the bight-l portionoffsaid embossment, said U embossmenthaving its greatest depth in its bight portion and substantially'at the junction of the'bo'lting on Aflange-with rthe body portion, each said embos'sment extending across the circumferential Yjunction-of said flange and body portion, said bolting on flange having a semi-circular inwardly projecting beadbe'tween each opening and its contiguous U embossment, the inner face of saidsemi-circular bead projecting inwardly a few thousandths of Aan inch more than the innermost face portions of the bolting on flange positioned radially inwardly of said semi-circular beads, ahub flange provided with `a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings corresponding to the above specified' openings in the bolting' on flange, and securing means adapted to be received in .said openings'for'detachably clamping 'the wheel flange to thev hub flange whereby when the disc is mounted upon the hub flange with the semi-circular inwardly projecting beads toward the vhub ilange the clamping action of the securing means lexes the bolting on flange vabout said semi-circular inwardly projecting beads. v y

'2. A wheel disc-'comprising -a substantially radially extending central' "annular "bolting-on flange and a body portion outwardly of said flange, said flange having a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings adapted to receive securing means, said flange and body portion being provided at their junction with a plurality of circumferentially spaced similar embossments, each embossment being substantially U-shaped with the ends of each U embossment positioned on the opposite sides of one of said openings and closer to the inner circumference of said annular bolting-on flange than the bight portion of said embossment, said U embossment having its greatest depth in its bight portion and substantially at the junction of the bolting-on flange with the body portion, each said embossment extending across the circumferential junction of said flange and body portion, the said bolting-on flange being provided with a semi-circular inwardly projecting bead between each opening and its contiguous U embossment, the inner face of said semi-circular bead projecting inwardly a few thousandths of an inch more than the innermost face portions of the bolting-on flange positioned radially inwardly of said semi-circular beads.

3. A wheel disc comprising a substantially radially extending central annular bolting-on ilange and a body portion outwardly of said ange, said flange having a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings adapted to receive securing means, said flange and body portion being provided at their junction with a plurality of circumferentially spaced similar embossments,

each embossment being substantially U-shaped with the ends of each U embossment positioned on the opposite sides of one of said openings and closer to the inner circumference of said annular bolting-on flange than the bight portion of said embossment, said U embossment having its greatest depth in its bight portion and substantially at the junction of the bolting-on flange with the body portion, each said embossment extending across the circumferential junction of said flange and body portion and projecting outwardly a few thousandths of an inch more than the outermost face portions of the bolting-on flange positioned radially inwardly of said embossment, said boltingon flange being provided with a bead which extends completely around the inner circumference of said bolting-on flange.

HARRY J. HORN.

Number Name Re. 21,960 Stough Nov. 25, 1941 2,130,392 Horn Sept. 20, 1938 2,317,311 Stough Apr. 20, 1943 2,407,749 Sinclair Sept. 17, 1946 2,424,106 Martens July 15, 1947 

